NUTRITION SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL-DISABILITIES AND CHRONIC ILLNESSES IN EDUCATION-PROGRAMS

Objective To determine the number of children attending school who req uire special nutrition services, types of nutrition services provided to children, involvement of registered dietitians in provision of nutr ition services in the school setting, and continuing education needs o f school nutrition personnel. Design/sample Pretested questionnaires w ere mailed to a national, systematic random sample of 600 school nutri tion managers, 600 district school nutrition directors/supervisors, an d 600 district special education program directors. Response rates wer e 32.7%, 46.2%, and 32.8%, respectively. Statistical analyses performe d Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data, including means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages. Results A large pe rcentage of school nutrition managers (46%) reported that they served no children with special food and nutrition needs. Special food and nu trition needs most frequently encountered by all groups included food allergy, food intolerance, diabetes, and conditions with which feeding problems are associated. The skills of dietitians were used by 23% of school nutrition managers, 21% of district school nutrition directors /supervisors, and 15% of special education program directors. Continui ng education needs were greatest for the areas of assessing liability, calculating macronutrient content of menus, modifying menus, and unde rstanding the physical and emotional needs of children with special ne eds. Applicaitons/conclusions Communication between nutrition service providers and special education providers needs to be strengthened. A need exists to include nutrition in Individualized Education Programs for children in special education. Many opportunities are available fo r registered dietitians to provide consulting services for school nutr ition programs related to special needs.